The world population reaches 8,000 million people, a milestone given the increase in inequalities

Despite the fact that the population growth rate continues to fall, it is estimated that the population will rise to 10.5 billion in 2080

Guterres urges to celebrate “diversity and progress” without forgetting the “shared responsibility” towards the planet

November 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The world population has reached 8,000 million people on Tuesday, a figure that the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, describes as a “historic milestone for the development of humanity” despite the fact that the annual growth rate is the same. slower since the 1950s and that inequalities continue to rise.

The UN World Population Prospects report places India as the most populous country in 2030 ahead of China and indicates that the world population could reach 8.5 billion by 2030, a figure that could rise to 9,700. million in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2080.

“This year marks a milestone. (…) This is an occasion to celebrate diversity and acknowledge our common humanity as we marvel at advances in health, which have dramatically reduced maternal and infant mortality rates,” Guterres has asserted.

However, he has expressed that it is a reminder of “the shared responsibility of caring for the planet” and the need to reflect on “the commitments that have not been fulfilled”. In this sense, he recalled the importance of facing crises such as the coronavirus, the climate or armed conflicts: “the world is in danger”.

“We still live in a world with gender inequality, where women’s rights are violated and basic services are denied. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth continue to be the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 15 and 19 years”, he lamented.

For this reason, he has defended that although the figure is a “numerical milestone”, it is important to “focus on the people” and has stressed that policies focused on reducing the birth rate “will not have a great impact on population growth worldwide”.

In addition, he has urged to “reduce the enormous abyss between those who have a lot and those who have nothing” given that “we are heading towards a world full of tensions and mistrust, of crises and conflicts”. “The facts speak for themselves. A number of billionaires control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world. The world’s wealthiest 1 percent pocket a fifth of the world’s income, and people in the richest countries have a life expectancy of up to 30 years greater than the poor,” he warned.

In this sense, he has emphasized the fact that “as the world becomes
has been getting richer and prospering over the last few decades, the differences have also increased” and has stipulated that these are “long-term trends” that include the “acceleration of the climate crisis and the disparity in recovery from the pandemic “.

“As long as emissions and temperatures continue to rise, we are headed straight for climate catastrophe. Floods, storms and droughts are devastating countries that have contributed little to global warming. The war in Ukraine adds to the current crises, (. ..) that affect developing economies to a greater extent”, he pointed out.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

The UN has warned that population growth is “a cause and at the same time a consequence of slow progress in development” and has pointed out that there has been an increase in the population over 65 years of age despite the fact that each time More countries are registering a decline in their populations.

Currently, two thirds of the world’s population lives in a country where the birth rate is less than 2.1 births per woman, an average that could imply zero growth in the long term. The population of 61 countries or regions is projected to decline by at least 1 percent between 2022 and 2050 due to low birth rates and, in some cases, high emigration rates.

More than half of the world population increase projected to 2050 will be concentrated in eight countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania. However, it is the countries of sub-Saharan Africa that are projected to contribute more than half of the world’s population growth projected for 2050.

SITUATION IN POOR COUNTRIES

The countries with the highest birth rate tend to be those with the lowest per capita income, as indicated by the document of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), which has had an impact on the fact that the increase in the population has concentrated in the poorest countries, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Despite the fact that population growth magnifies the environmental impact of economic development, the increase in per capita income is the main driver of unsustainable production and consumption patterns,” indicates the text, which points out that the countries with the highest income are the that emit more greenhouse gases, and not those with the highest population index.

“The relationship between population growth and sustainable development is complex and multidimensional,” said Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “The rapid growth of the population makes it more difficult to eradicate poverty, the fight against hunger and malnutrition, as well as the expansion of the coverage of the health and education systems,” he continued.

On the other hand, he insisted, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to health, education and gender equality, “will make it possible to reduce birth rates and reverse the growth of the world population”.

However, in most sub-Saharan African countries, as well as in parts of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the proportion of the working-age population (25-64 years) has increased due to recent reductions in the natality.

This, according to the UN report, offers an opportunity “to achieve accelerated per capita economic growth”, although countries with aging populations must take steps to “align public programs with the growing number of older people, including the establishment of universal health care and long-term care systems and improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems”.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

Life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an improvement of almost nine years since 1990. Future reductions in mortality are projected to translate into a global average longevity of about 77.2 years on average by 2050.

However, the UN asks not to lose sight of the great inequalities between countries and regions of the world: in 2021, the life expectancy of the least developed countries was 7 years less than the world average.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected these indicators. In 2021, global life expectancy fell to 71 years on average. In turn, COVID-19 has reduced the birth rate and human mobility, as well as international migration.

Guterres, for his part, has urged the international community to “work together to achieve equality and solidarity to guarantee that the planet meets the needs of future generations” and has called for “protecting Human Rights and the ability of all individuals not to make informed decisions about the decision to have children”, has defended.